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Rolex GMT 2893 Custom Build


markmelheim

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Here is the soon to be completed 2893 Rolex Project, Ed - SpeedyG is doing all the work, getting the fit finish all the right parts and custom build is the important part of this Project.

 

What do you Guys Think ?

 

Its the latest NOOB dial, thicker indices, and Bright Lume, case is BP with green GMT Master II, However the 24 hour is RedThis will be fixed at a later date.

 

Checkout that custom built movement ring from bulk 6061 bar stock !

 

I've said it before - Speedy G is Fantastic, And does great work.!!!

 

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Let's see if he can clear the dial indices without bending the GMT hand. I've got one in a Noob GMTIIC case with H4 pinion set and it still doesn't fit as it should. I just ordered a new green hand and am going to try adding to the tube since I hate the way it is.

 

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DSCN5063_zps77b98d8a.jpg

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This project has beed with Ed for 6 months my request, ITS NO GREAT RUSH, I know he's taken a lot of metal off the back of the dial, He stated it'll be a project to make it right I told him to Take His Time. 

If you look at pic #2 you can get a very good idea how the hand stack. and it appears none of the hands will be bent and it'll clear the indices, My fingers are crossed,

 

Additionallly H5 vcan be used if it'll clear the crystal. 2893-2 movement.

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This project has beed with Ed for 6 months my request, ITS NO GREAT RUSH, I know he's taken a lot of metal off the back of the dial, He stated it'll be a project to make it right I told him to Take His Time. 

If you look at pic #2 you can get a very good idea how the hand stack. and it appears none of the hands will be bent and it'll clear the indices, My fingers are crossed,

 

Additionallly H5 vcan be used if it'll clear the crystal. 2893-2 movement.

Will h5 work with flat sapphire crystals?

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I ve a 2893 sitting in the box. I'm saving it for a vintage GMT. A 6542 has been calling me. GLWB!

It's me Stone P

I used the ETA 2893-2 in my very first 6542 build. It is a great movement, but I later swapped it for a ETA 2846 and a  slower beat. The ETA 2893-2 needed some coaxing to fit the Silix case I used, and I had to thin out the dial quite a bit. But it fit nicely in my 116710. The ETA 2846 is my favorite movement, and is in several of my vintage builds. In my opinion, for the faster beat builds the ETA 2892/2893-2  rivals the performance of gen Rolex. 

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I used the ETA 2893-2 in my very first 6542 build. It is a great movement......... In my opinion, for the faster beat builds the ETA 2892/2893-2  rivals the performance of gen Rolex. 

 

Here's an interesting article about comparison between the Rolex 3135, the ETA 2892, and the ETA 7750 and variants. Surprisingly the 2892 was the winner, at least in the eyes of this watchmaker.

 

http://www.chronometrie.com/rolex3135/rolex3135.html

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I hope that you can get this one built. My experience was not good. I bought a GMTIIC several years back as well as a brand new 2893-2 movement. I sent it all up to Ziggy and he felt like the movement was a no go in that case. Same problem, couldn't get the GMT hand to clear the raised plots without bending the hand up, then you had the GMT hand very close to the hour hand. If you go back and find the old threads about the GMTIIC and 2893-2, there were several threads. A couple of guys built them but they all said "one and done" wouldn't try a second one. Also, BK was going to offer them, either as a complete watch or his watch your movement, etc. he may have done a couple, but that project never got off the ground either. I really wanted to get one built, as the old versions of the 2836 GMT had lots of problems, GMT hand slipping, not tracking accurately, all which would have been solved with the 2893-2. The newer 2836 movements seem to be a lot more robust and don't appear to have the same problems as the first ones. No doubt, the 2893-2 is a great movement as it is a purpose built GMT.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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When I was looking, I didn't see that there was an H5 for the 2893-2. H4 was the highest that the ETA literature showed and the highest that the supplier stocked.

After going back and double checking, it was the H5 set that I used, not the H4. Senility must be setting in.

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So what you are all saying is if you use the H5  CP, the hands will work OK and not have the problem of rubbing the GMT hand on the dial indices. I'm not planning anymore mods to my GMT IIC, but should the movement that's in it now go south on me, I have a brand new 2893-2 that could be used.

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No, it's still a very tight fit. First problem is the extra gear that runs the GMT hand sits higher than the date wheel so you have the problem of the date date wheel overlay has to be very thin and installed very carefully. If it's too low it hangs on the GMT gearing and if it's too high it hangs on the bottom of the dial. And you can't raise the dial or you loose the necessary clearance for the GMT hand on the dial.

 

You can see here what I mean about it sitting on the gear:

DSCN4852.jpg

 

I received the new GMT hand that I had ordered yesterday so I took mine apart again and spent a lot of time finessing the date wheel overlay and sanded down the back of the dial a bit and put it back together. This time I got it looking much better with the GMT hand running perfectly just a hair above the dial indices and the date wheel tight up to the dial back but still turning. The GMT hand looks pretty good now but I wouldn't recommend this unless you have a lot of patience. The sanding down of the dial I think made the biggest difference. Also it may make the date wheel overlay move easier even if it happens to brush the back of the dial.

 

Of course sanding down the back of the dial means removing the dial feet so then you need to glue the dial carefully onto the dial spacer and then when you get it all lined up and working you need to glue the dial spacer to the movement.

 

It ain't easy! I sure as h*ll wouldn't do it on someone else's watch.

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No, it's still a very tight fit. First problem is the extra gear that runs the GMT hand sits higher than the date wheel so you have the problem of the date date wheel overlay has to be very thin and installed very carefully. If it's too low it hangs on the GMT gearing and if it's too high it hangs on the bottom of the dial. And you can't raise the dial or you loose the necessary clearance for the GMT hand on the dial.

You can see here what I mean about it sitting on the gear:

DSCN4852.jpg

I received the new GMT hand that I had ordered yesterday so I took mine apart again and spent a lot of time finessing the date wheel overlay and sanded down the back of the dial a bit and put it back together. This time I got it looking much better with the GMT hand running perfectly just a hair above the dial indices and the date wheel tight up to the dial back but still turning. The GMT hand looks pretty good now but I wouldn't recommend this unless you have a lot of patience. The sanding down of the dial I think made the biggest difference. Also it may make the date wheel overlay move easier even if it happens to brush the back of the dial.

Of course sanding down the back of the dial means removing the dial feet so then you need to glue the dial carefully onto the dial spacer and then when you get it all lined up and working you need to glue the dial spacer to the movement.

It ain't easy! I sure as h*ll wouldn't do it on someone else's watch.

I believe that what you described is what Ziggy encountered with mine. He tried it, but after trying, he felt that it was going to be such a tight fit that he couldn't stand behind his work. If you remember back several years ago, a few folks were able to make it work, but every one of them said the same thing, I did it once, but I'm not going to build the second one!!!

Also along about that time BK claimed that he had found a fix, and he was going to start offering them, but AFA I know, he never got that project off the ground other than a couple he built as sort of trial runs.i contacted him, and he told me that he would get back to me when he "got the kinks worked out". Must not have, because he never got back with me.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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  • 2 weeks later...

So finally got it back, Set the time, adjusted the GMT, & Date. After 2 days the watch is within 1-2 seconds of the Colorado Web Atomic, The Watch looks fantastic with the new band !

Speedy did an excellent job on this project. Now I have a spare 2893-1 and a spare 2893-2, I'm thinking of using 2893-1 into a sub build. Just not use the rotating 24 function.

This movement is so much nicer than the clunky 2824/36. The smoothness of a wind, the delicacy of the rotor movement, the sweep of the seconds...............

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